The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - It's time for LeBron James to step down, too many people are upset with the Dodgers

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Colin Cowherd discusses LeBron James becoming the oldest player to record a triple-double and why it’s time for LeBron to bring an end to his historic career Nobody would care about the Dodgers big spending if they would have lost in the World Series against the Blue JaysSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the ice.

Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come into it. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to deep cover the family man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts. or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

Here we go. It's a Friday. There is shockingly a lot. to talk about. We've got a word of good week. Host the NFL live in Chicago. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thank you for making us part of your day. Jay Max off today. Our buddy John Middlough, former scout, three and out at the volume, is joining us.

So John Middletoff, we've still got a lot of NFL stuff to talk about. But baseball, pitchers, catchers reporting this week. Dodgers are infuriating people, John. LeBron's doing his thing. John, I know you're a movie fan. I'm a movie fan. You're a music fan. I'm a music fan, but I want to start the show with this.

I don't like my sport stars to end their careers like Elvis or Marlon Brando. I want it to look like Elway or Derek Jeter. Like that's, I want it to be, I like my movies, my movie stars, my athletes that have a clean, tight ending. Like Elway and Jeter did it better than anybody. So LeBron last night, Lakers beat the Mavs, and LeBron, First 23 points of the game, he scored or assisted for the Lakers, oldest player ever to have a triple double. He's still very, very good.

Nobody would dispute that. And I really do think LeBron and Tom Brady, their arcs are very similar. Number one is they're the most productive players in the history of their sport. They got to a lot of world championships in basketball or Super Bowls, and they didn't win all of them, but they got to a lot of them. Both are the system, regardless of how good the coach is. I mean, Bruce Ariens, hell of a coach. Tom Brady's like, Bruce, we're running my offense.

Eric Spolstra, amazing coach. He and LeBron butted heads. And fourth, they're both Brady and LeBron, pioneers in longevity. And I think, you know, MJ was flashier, more beloved and cooler. He's more Beatles. Pandemonium. LeBron's more Rolling Stones. Still touring, really, really high level for a long time.

and Mahomes and Elway are a little flashier than Brady. You know, better highlights maybe than Brady. But there's a fundamental truth with LeBron. You saw it last night and with Brady in his last couple years. The more obsessed you are by it, the more disciplined you are as a professional athlete, you will be the goat, you will be the most productive, you will dominate the record book, and there's no argument. You can say the other guy's cooler.

LeBron has all the records and Brady has most of them. But I do wish LeBron would retire after the year, and I'll give you an example why. Because there's a list that he makes my list that isn't great. And I've always thought about basketball this way. How do you judge the best player? It can't be scoring average. Do you play defense? Are you a good distributor?

I mean, James Hardin scored a bunch of points. He's never the best player in the league. Tim Duncan wasn't flashy. Rebounded, defended, score. I mean, Tim Duncan's one of the seven or eight best players in terms of complete game ever. I always judge guys like this, and LeBron is now 41. If there's a tie game with two and a half minutes left, two and a half minutes left, I'm counting everything.

Your stamina, your free throw shooting, your offense, your defense, your distribution. Who are the 10 guys in the NBA, I would take in order? And here's my list. Again, two and a half minutes, multiple possessions. I'm counting all of your game. Offense, defense, ball handling, stamina, free throw shooting. Number one would be Yokic. He is the best player in the world, makes every teammate better, third in clutch scoring.

SGA would be two. Number one in clutch scoring, he's just a bucket. I mean, he's just a bucket. I would put Victor Wembenyama at number three, the best defense. defensive player, totally absolutely disruptive. Also, you're going to get dunks and freebies. Number four, I would put Anthony Edwards behind SGA. Number two in scoring, he can hit a three, he can handle the ball, he can make defensive stops. Number five, because he's actually playing again, is Kauai Leonard. I mean, cross your fingers, he may not in two days,

but right now he's playing. And I said this years ago, get a bucket, get a stop. He is a wizard. There's a lot of MJ to his game. Number six would be Steph Curry. Still at his age, unbelievable stamina. I don't think there's ever been an NBA player in that good of cardio shape. He is also right now three-point shooting, 46% clutch three-point shooting. That's insane. Number seven would be Cade Cunningham.

He has the third most field goals in the league in clutch. He can defend. He's got size. He can ball-handle. He now plays with a confidence he didn't three years ago. Cade Cunningham at 7. Colin wears Luca. I would put him 8. Why? I don't like his stamina late in games.

He's a revolving door on defense. I love him offensively, but he often doesn't include others. I'd put him 8. Number 9, I'm going to put KD on this until the day he retires. I'm sorry, catch and shoot, off a pick, dribble. Kevin Durant is somewhere between 5 and 10 on this list. I'll put him 9 because of his age. and number 10 is not LeBron.

It's Jalen Brunson, who 24, 25 in the NBA was voted the clutch player. I trust them more at the free throw line than LeBron. He's not a good defensive player. He's a better ball handler. I trust his mid-range game more than LeBron. I trust his free throw shooting more than LeBron. It's the first time I've ever done this list. LeBron's not part of it.

LeBron last night. I saw LeBron live this year at Chicago. Best player on the floor for about 12 minutes. And then there were gaps of stamina and energy. And I like my actors. I want it to look more like a Tom Hanks. You don't see him in as many good movies because you don't see him in as many movies.

But everything he does is tight and clean and good. I don't want it to end like Marlon Brando. I don't want it to look like that. LeBron next year would still be a top 15 to 18 player in the league. But I just loved the way Elway and Jim. Peter ended it. It's just so tight and clean. And I know that's just subjective and that's my opinion. I don't want an MJ ending. You got all the records. You beat them in the record books. Called a career, you're averaging 20 a game. I think that'd be amazing. Here's LeBron last night on

his longevity and his future. My game is not going anywhere. It's just my body. It's all the other things. There's so many more factors that come with how long will I play the game. I don't think my game will ever suffer if I decided to continue to go how long, however long that is. I just think it's like it has to be here. If this goes, then my body's going to go. And once my body goes, it's a wrap. You know, then the love goes and then the fun and all that stuff goes. He remains very good, but down the stretch, two and a half left, defense, free throw shooting stamina. I don't think it's a top 10 player. Pitchers and catchers report in baseball.

In fact, the Dodgers pitchers and catchers report today. So Jeff Pass and ESPN, a wonderful baseball guy, writes a really interesting story today that baseball's in a weird place. There's a renaissance. The attendance is up. The ratings are up. We've talked about this on this show. I went about 15 years.

I stopped talking baseball. The last two and a half years, the playoffs have been incredible. Why? Games faster. Games quicker. And the Cubs are good and the Yankees are good and the Mets are interesting and the Dodgers are good. And Houston's dominant and Boston had a good year. But he also pointed out in the article, that Kyle Tucker signing, that's going to guarantee a labor stop. He suggests that.

And I just want to throw this out there. One year ago in the NFL, I want you to think about this. One year ago in the NFL. after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, the tush push was a national crisis. Something needs to be done. This is unfair. People are meeting and flying and talking and debating and arguing the tush push.

And then this year, when the Eagles face planted, you know what? Nobody cared about the tush push. They weren't as good at it. It didn't matter. It suddenly wasn't unfair. Go ahead, do it as many times you want. But when the Eagles felt like they were unstoppable, they had an advantage, though it was legal, they were pulling away from the league. Nobody liked it.

And that's our nature. We often hate successful people because they're successful. And what's interesting, when the Dodgers signed mokey bats, much better than Kyle Tucker. When they signed Freddie Freeman, both will be hollowed. of Famers. Where was the outrage? Well, that's because at the time, the Dodgers weren't stacking World Series titles. I'm arguing and have that if the Dodgers would have lost to the Blue Jays in game seven, nobody'd freak out with Kyle Tucker. You'd be like, well, you spend a fortune, what, you got one World Series, you choke. You think I'm wrong on that? Okay, because,

so it was Kyle Tucker who the Cubs couldn't get out of town fast enough. stuff, that's the one. That's the straw that broke the camel's bat. What's interesting, the Blue Jays lost the World Series. So nobody's really bothered that Vlad Guerrero Jr. signed for $500 million. Or that the Blue Jays were the bigger spenders again in this offseason. Because they didn't win a World Series, because they're not stacking titles. Really? Freddie Freeman, why did he leave Atlanta? It was money. They knew Freddie Freeman was great. The Braves couldn't afford Dodgers could. Why did Mookie Betts leave Boston?

They said they couldn't afford him. So the same reason they got Otani and Betts and Freeman was always money. Kyle Tucker really wasn't that expensive relative to those guys. But Kyle Tucker, after back-to-back World Series titles, that stinks. Push, push, outrage this year. Whatevs? That's how it works. Here's an absolute fact.

that you can't deny. The Dodgers in 2024 made $752 million. The Yankees made $730 million. Two biggest revenue teams in the sport. The difference is the Yankees only spend 49.5% of their revenue on players, and the Dodgers almost spend 75%. They make about the same. The Dodgers are more committed to winning.

Steinbrenner's kids are more committed to keeping more of that money. By the way, the Mets spend the highest percentage by a mile in the sport of the revenues they make. They don't make the Dodger money. They don't make the Yankee money, but Steve Cohen spends 90% of the money. Good for him.

But we, it's human nature. We don't like people pulling away. The idea that Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs couldn't get rid of Fathombe, who everybody says, he doesn't love the game. I don't know if he does or not. He's not really passionate. I mean, they signed monkey bats.

Everybody's like, oh, great. Move by the Dodgers. Yeah, Kyle Tucker's got us all freaking out. Dave Roberts on this Dodger team as pitchers and catchers report today compared to previous Dodger teams. Last year's team, a very good team on paper.

I thought 20, 21, one I think was a very good team on paper. But this team, I think, yeah, looking at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters, and the depth of the young players that we have coming behind them on the pitching side especially, probably the best team we've had on the team. Be totally honest, if the Dodgers would have lost in game seven to the Blue Jays, you would have all laughed. Suckers, can't buy a World Series title.

And by the way, the guy making the great catch in left center field for the Dodgers, wasn't one of their great players, he was a defensive specialist. They couldn't figure out their bullpen. But the minute they won game seven, that's separating and people don't like it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. Stygots here. I have a podcast empire.

It continues to grow. And I have brought it here to IHart. I'm also doing a live radio show from 3 to 5 p.m. Eastern because my wife wanted to kick me out of the house. It's called Stugats and Company Live, which is available in podcast form right when the show finishes every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports. a lot of phone calls. I love you guys' guys. It's one of my favorites. A lot of interaction.

Guys not taking themselves too seriously. Those are just some of the things that you can expect from Stugatson Company and Stugats and Company Live. So listen to Stugats and Company Live and our original podcast. Please subscribe, rate, and review. Stugats and Company and God bless football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. Do it today. And you can check all of those out on the IHeart Radio app.

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smygel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place.

As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store. I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence.

We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Giamanka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea?

It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate that I felt the quickest, easiest, way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No. I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrat, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream of chicken soup.

This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coulthura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome in. It is a Friday. John Middlekopf is in for JMAQ. So I just saw this this morning. The highest graded rookie, according to PFF, in the entire league this year, was Bears tied in.

Colston Loveland. It's very interesting. So Colston Loveland's taken 10th, Tyler Warren, the Penn State tied end 14th. Many most believe Tyler Warren was better than Colston Loveland. They're both great, both way better than any tied in the class this year. And through weeks one through eight, Tyler Warren looked like the much better player. But from weeks nine on, Colston Loveland was unbelievable. He was the much better player. And a lot of that is because Colston Loveland got Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and Tyler Warren had three different quarterbacks. And they're both going to end up being unbelievable. But the Colston Loveland story is an interesting one. And it illustrates how valuable fit is for a lot of these offensive coaches. People thought Sean Payton reached on Bo

Knicks. Best fourth quarter quarterback in the NFL since he showed up, statistically. They also thought he reached on R.J. Harvey, the running back. He was very good. Second round, very good this year. Because Sean Payton's not drafting best available guy. He's got a vision. He's got a plan.

And defensive guys may do it too, but you can really see it with offensive guys. Am I just drafting players? Because the Bears Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson knew that if you took Loveland over Tyler Warren, you were going to get some criticism. The consensus was the Penn State kid who could literally do everything, including punt, was the more versatile guy, he was the better draft pick. And yet they're like, no, no, no, no, Colston Loveland, that's what works for this offense. That's going to work in our system.

and that's very Sean Payton in Denver, where a lot of people think he's been reaching in the last couple drafts for some offensive players. And yet all of them go to Denver, and they're all good. And this is not a knock on Tyler Warren. He's going to be great. These are great tight ends. But I've always believed, even in the NFL,

there's only about 10 to 15% of the players, 10%. They're going to be great wherever they go. Barry Sanders, Trent Williams, Jonathan Ogden, they're going to be great anywhere. It doesn't really matter. They were going to be great. I remember the first time I saw Brian Erlacker.

I'm like, yeah, that's going to work with anybody. That guy just, I know he went to a small college. I'm like, yeah, that's going to work. That's going to work everywhere. But that's about 10 to 15% of the players. The other 75, 85% of the guys, it's fit. Who's your coach? I mean, Sam Darnold's the greatest advantage of that.

You give him Kevin O'Connell? And you give them, right, the right offensive coordinator, Clint Gubiak, you're like, oh, my God, this guy's like getting MVP votes. And so Colston Loveland for the Bears, people always say, what do you make of the Bears? And I say, listen, Caleb Williams is going to be great and occasionally is great. Ben Johnson, day one on campus, has been unbelievable. And for a young coach to already have a plan and a vision and to take a player who many teams had rated below Warren.

He's like, no, that's my guy. That tells me Ben has a vision beyond just draft and best available guy. He sees before a player ever puts on pads, he sees how he fits in his ecosystem. That's elite coaching to me. Here's Caleb Williams this past January on Colston Loveland. We got a home run with him, you know. And that's something that coach said the other day to me. We were sitting in his office and everybody goes back to draft night and why do we get Colston

Loveland? Why do we do this? And why do we do that? And it's Colston Loveland. You know what I mean? That's who he is. He's one of the hardest workers on his team. He's there late.

He's there early. Reportedly, Sean McVeigh was pounding the table for Pooka and a coup in the fifth round. Like everybody's like, well, well, and McVeigh's like, we've got to take him. I don't care need, we have to, because they had Cooper Cup at the time. The offense was good. It was stable plus. And McVeigh's banging the table. He knew what he would do before he ever put on a Rams uniform.

I don't think every coach is like that. I don't know if half the coaches are like that. John Middletoff with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. Okay, speaking of offensive coaches, Colin, the 49ers and the Rams, they will play the first ever game in Australia next season.

But here's the thing. There is no confirmed date, and there is potential for this game to be played on Wednesday night before the defending champions Seattle would host a game. So we don't know the date, but this is kind of a big blow because it's going to be a Rams home game. As you know, been in L.A. a long time.

The 49ers dominate SoFi Stadium when they play. Now, they also, week one, this is a 15-hour flight, you know, from San Francisco, from Los Angeles. Even the Brazil game for Kansas City, for example, was a nine-hour flight. So this is way longer. They basically had to go week one.

But I actually think this is advantage for the Rams in the sense that, look at the Niners this year, went in there with Mac Jones and won. Why? It's 75% 49er fans. in these games. Yeah, and I also think playing it Wednesday, it's almost like you get a first week buy because you don't have to play to the following Sunday. So people will complain about it,

but you're going to get there probably three days early. You're probably going to make it a real, it's almost like college bowl game. My guess is you're going to get there three or four days early. Get acclimated. I mean, 99% of the players and staff haven't been to Australia. I mean, I've always wanted to go. You go there three or four days early. You make it like a bowl trip. You play on Wednesday. You're going to have full NFL officials everywhere. And then you get like an early season by. So it doesn't bother me.

But I would say that and I imagine Niner fans will travel to Melbourne better than Ram fans. Listen, we all know this, John. The NFL years ago we all complained about European games. I like those early Europeans. I love waking up. There's a game already on. I'm okay with it. Well, I think, too, if you told Kyle and McVeigh, you had to play an international game,

they would all sign up for week one, right? You'd want it week one. You can prepare during training camp. I'm sure they both head to Australia several days before Wednesday. Okay, Colin, another story, Jason Kelsey, the Hall of Famer, had some comments when it came to the Eagles. Obviously, they fell off this year after winning the Super Bowl. Nobody knows the Eagles and that culture like Kelsey who played there forever. he said that he wouldn't be surprised if they move on from Siriani and try something new if the season doesn't go well.

Pressure on Siriani this year, Colin. Is this a make or break year for Nick? Well, I think it is, John, because he is the rarity. He is an offensive coach yet dependent on his coordinator. Most, we know defensive coaches are very beholden to their offensive coordinator. I mean, Belichick at one point put Matt Patricia in there, had no feel for it. But offensive coaches, your Andes, your Shans, your McVease, your Kyle, you're Liam Cohen. If an offensive coordinator leaves, there's no major regression.

They'll get on the headset. I think Nick, I think the concern with Nick is, what does he do? Like if he can't call the plays, he did when he first got there, if I recall the first year, and it was bad, and then Stuyken took it over, and suddenly the team flourish. So my my take is, I mean, why did they dovetail last year? They didn't have the right coordinator. Why did they do it before? Because I didn't have the right coordinator.

Find me another offensive coach that's dependent on an offensive coordinator for success. Well, I agree. I think Dan Campbell might fall under that category. But clearly Jeffrey Lurie and Howie, like Nick, because two years ago, they thought they could pivot off them. Then they come back, they win the Super Bowl. This year it felt like that they stood by. am, are we sure that Jalen Hertz is just on scholarship? They've proven before they paid Carson Wentz.

Howie Roseman, the Eagles mentality and culture, they're aggressive. If he doesn't play better, I think we all talk about Nick. What about the quarterback, though, Colin? Yeah, no, there was an article this week in The Ringer that talked about how inefficient and unsuccessful since he started playing quarterback, Jalen Hertz is throwing the ball over the middle of the field. And I had a source tell me in August this summer, in the NFL that, and this was somebody very, very tight with Harry Roseman and the people in the building

that Jaylon's a great kid that you're not the most popular guy. You know, it's one of those things where a lot of teams like Philadelphia keep a lot of the stuff under wraps, but people that knew their front office people and knew some of their players and somebody that was very connected to the entire, I mean, you're connected to the Eagles organization. Yeah. It was somebody that knew the people upstairs, didn't know Lurie, but knew the people upstairs, knew a couple of the agents dealing with players. And the takeaway I was told is,

Jalen's not the most popular guy in the room. Like Brady was popular to the end. Mahomes is. Peyton Manning was. Jalen's not that guy. He's not. Dack Prescott is. Jalen's not.

Well, Jalen's also a dual threat quarterback that will no longer run. So it's like this isn't exactly working. Okay, last but not least, John Harbaugh, who's now in New York, as he's the new Giants coach, after spending 18 years with the Ravens. In a recent podcast appearance,

Harbaugh spoke to the end of his time in Baltimore. Let's take a listen. What happened, what happened, and what needed to be done in the opinion of Steve, you know, is what was done. So it's cool. If we won four games and won the Super Bowl after that, I'm pretty sure I'd still be there right now.

I don't know. That'd be my guess. But it didn't happen that way. So it doesn't matter. And again, I understand completely the thinking, behind it and, you know, it's all good. Yeah, I mean, it's, it's, yeah, he was there forever. It's just one of, it was like that John Harbaugh leaving there feels like Andy Reid in

Philadelphia. You know he's a great coach. You know he's going to get a job in 15 minutes, but it was probably time. I think that's a great comparison. The other thing you notice is like when Andy went to Kansas City and now John is going to the Giants, there's a positive energy that there's no bitterness. Remember a couple years ago, Belichick, it was very bitter. It was like, Bill.

We got to pivot here, put a smile on your face. And, you know, John Harbaugh, good spirits. I know you're high on the Giants. I think a lot of people by the time the season comes around are going to be pretty high on the Giants. Yeah, yeah. I think they'll double, triple. I think they're a 9-10 win team in that division because I don't trust Dallas right now, and I don't love the direction Philadelphia is going and cross your fingers on Jaden Daniel's help.

Agreed. John Middlecough with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. House of Strauss, great podcaster, Substacker,

joining us top of the hour on that. Steve Kerr, Jonathan Kamingham Mass. He's always so good on big macro topics with the NBA, which he covered for years.

So listen, this happens every year. NFL season ends. Baseball hasn't started, and we start criticizing the NBA and the NBA is terrible. When the playoffs show up,

the NBA will be very, very interesting. Even the late David's stern you is to admit nobody really watches us in the regular season but there are some things with the NBA that I don't think are great uh I've said I the game is too competitive too many three point shots I don't love that I would change the three point arc that'll never happen but I I would do it I think the game's gotten very repetitive and you've made all these great athletes all three point shooters um but um this week bill Simmons uh this week and Bill's like an NBA guy

Even he questioned Adam Silver's leadership on the tanking stuff, on the state of the league. There's like huge fundamental issues with the league. The regular season has real issues. It's too long. Guys are getting hurt too much. Everybody is making so much money. The only reason to have 82 games is because you make money from it. Everything they're doing, they're not serving the larger picture of what do fans want,

How do we keep our players healthy? How do we have a competitive season from start to finish? How do we avoid over one-fourth of our league not giving a shit for the last two months? How do we fix this? And it's the first time I really wondered, like, is do we have the right guy running the league? So I used to have David Stern on twice a year when I was at ESPN. And we would go back and forth. My favorite interview of the year.

I've had Adam Silver on once on this network. It's one of my favorite interviews. really smart guys. In fact, I just started reading, I'm almost finished with a book called The Bookie. Art Man Terrace wrote a book and he talks about sitting down with David Stern and talking about the gambling stuff before it exploded. And I think Adam's really, really bright. But there's a difference between David Stern.

You did not get this level of tanking. I mean, just recently the jazz and the Pacers, NBA had to find him. And I think David Stern was loud and emotional, could be verbally abusive, and was threatening. and I've heard that from multiple sources. That's not my opinion. I've heard that from broadcast executives who were in the room with him. He was a daunting presence. Short guy, but a daunting presence, very loud, very emotional,

and really had no problem getting on the phone with a GM and a coach and airing it out, even a player. He didn't care. And in fairness, Stern took over a wobbly league and made it a great league, so he had a real battle on his hands. Adam Silver took over a very successful Rich League. But Adam Silver is not the yell scream into a phone guy. David Stern did not care about what you thought of him.

And frankly, he didn't care about the feelings. The players are paid to play. Adam Silver was quoted two years ago saying, quote, my players are truly unhappy. Okay. So I think the one criticism of Adam, silver that is fair. I mean, he got them a lot of money.

They're on multiple networks. I like the NBA Cup early. I mean, it's not the biggest thing in the world, but I like the swing. And there's a lot of things he's done well. He likes, I don't necessarily love it. He likes the parody. Everybody can win. David Stern was much more comfortable with three or four teams separating.

He was much more comfortable. I mean, why should the Celtics, the Knicks, the Sixers, and the Lakers have to play down to Portland's economy? Like, listen, if they separate, they separate. Whatever. But I think the bigger difference is any of you had a dad or a stepdad, stepparent, they're not biological, right? Adam Silver isn't officially related to players, but there's that stepdad that you'd either never want to disappoint or never want to piss off. And that was David Stern. Like, you knew if you just didn't play because you weren't in the mood,

David Stern would call you directly and be abusive to your GM, to your coach. People feared David Stern. And I know two executives that were in meetings multiple times with him, he was rough. That's not Adam Silver. And so I think what happens is, is when you are a boss or a leader, if there's not five or 10 percent like, yeah, he would fire me in a second. because I've seen what he's done to people, people take advantage of you. I mean, the load management now, the tanking is really, I'm not sure what you do other than fines and suspensions.

I don't know what you do with tanking. They've been doing it forever, but they did it a lot less with David Stern because I think people fear David Stern. The load management is so out of control now. People did it on opening night. People are doing it going into the All-Star break. I mean, David Stern was a commissioner for 30-plus years. there were only eight different champions, and he didn't care. And you loved those teams.

You didn't have to live in Chicago to love the Bulls. You didn't have to live in L.A. to love Kobe and Shaq. Right? You didn't have to live in the town. To be a fan of Bird and Mikhail or Magic and Korea, you didn't have to live in the town. Now, outside of the town with the champion is crowned, eh, man.

So I guess to wrap a bow on this, and Ethan and I will talk about this, I think players take advantage of silver. He's not as loud. I mean, people can say what they want about Trump. People fear Trump. I mean, people can diametrically be opposed to him in Congress. He's threatening. Won't go through half of them or 90% of them. But there is something to the dogma and the intensity and the volume.

of David Stern is people didn't take advantage of them very often. If they did, they hurt it. And I think these load management is a massive problem. The other night, Luca LeBron and Austin Reeves don't play against the Spurs. I mean, just nonsense. What if a kid from Victorville or Palmdale goes to one game a year? That's the game he goes to. I mean, that's just not, I mean, I grew up in a small town. I went to like one NBA game every four years. If Gus Williams downtown, Freddie Brown, and Jack Sigma, whoever it was as a kid weren't available, It's not the same game. It's not the same experience.

Dynasties and domination. David Stern didn't care. Life's not fair. Life's not even. Why should the NBA be even? Live in Chicago, it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a...

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And... Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band.

Before Jonas Brothers... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Giamanka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea?

It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No. I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War.

To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep, on both of those things, the fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean.

Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming.

The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown

from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The Great American Race Returns with back-to-back champion, William Byron, looking for historic three-pe. It doesn't get bigger than this. The 68th running of the Daytona 500 Sunday at 2.30 Eastern with the pre-race coverage starting at 1230 only on Fox. Christian Fourier, former NFL player outspoken, talk radio. His son played briefly for Colorado.

Caleb and Christian Forrier is paid now to give big opinions. I don't agree with all of them. But he kind of took a shot at Dion Sanders. And again, his son was there very, very briefly. That could be part of it. It gets personal, gets emotional. But he took kind of a shot at Dion Sanders. I'm just not a fan of the coach.

I'm not. I'll never be a fan of the coach. I love the school. And this isn't me picking up. on Dion Sanders because I pick on Joe Gibbs. Worst coach I've ever had was Joe Gibbs. So me picking on Dion Sanders is nothing. I just don't like the way he coaches football.

I don't think he's very bright. I don't think he can manage a game. I think there's a lot of flash, but I think there's no substance. I think Joe Gibbs was pretty good, my opinion. But I do think the last thing he said, the way I look at Dion Sanders. So he's two and eight against ranked opponents at Colorado. and one of those is the first game TCU. They were ranked.

They ended up being really, really bad TCU team. So he's beaten really one legitimate ranked team. Now, he took over an irrelevant program. He's made them relevant. They sell out all their games. I have friends and the family that go to Colorado. He's made Colorado football fun and relevant and talked about, and there's no question.

But Kurt Signetti is an elite coach. Because Kurt Signetti goes to Indiana, and by year two, they've got elite O lines, and D-lines. Their receivers are good. Their D-line has like really big-time pass rushers. Forget the fact that Colorado doesn't beat ranked teams. They don't really beat anybody.

We're three years into the Dion Sanders experiment, and they're 16 and 21. That's tied for 94th. They can't run the football. They can't stop the run. All the substance stuff, all the stuff, the trenches were Indiana and Signetti, and they've got more money, yes, than Colorado.

but it's the way Cigetti built it. Now, Signetti's first year at Indiana, it was Cream Puff schedule. It was a lot of fraud. The good teams they played, they couldn't move the ball. They get Mendoza. They get more money. And Indiana's a real football team. I've never felt that Colorado is a real football team.

I bought into them like everybody when they beat TCU. TCU ended up being awful. So I think Mario Cristobal, what did he do at Miami? The trenches. O-line, D-line play. What did Harbaugh do at Michigan? He didn't have great quarterbacks for years. O-line, D-Line.

A lot of what Deion does is, it's, I mean, even his son, the legendary draft room, it's a little fin on substance. You get a lot of flash, Heisman winner, good perimeter players. They can't run the ball. They can't stop the run. Now, in fairness, Colorado still doesn't have a lot of money, though more has been generated because of Dion. and they get on TV a lot. They are talked about. We have to be fair.

Dion does, just like when he was on the NFL network, he jumps off the TV screen. But I mean, last year, they were the worst team in the country. Three years in, worst team in the country in stopping the run. Dion's about motivation. He's about aura. He's a little bit about shtick. You know, I never felt when he was an NFL analyst.

I was getting the most research. points on football, but he delivered them in a very entertaining way. And I kind of feel it's the same thing with Colorado football. It's entertaining. The games are sold out. It's fun. When they're on television, I watch them, I didn't before. So I think he is delivered on largely what Colorado wanted.

We're going into NIL. We've got to raise some money. We got to be relevant. We got to be fun. He's absolutely delivered on that. Is he a great in-game coach? I don't think he's great. I don't think he's as bad as his critics say,

but I don't think he's great. A couple times he's done things I wouldn't do late in games, but whatever, it's a coach. But I think Dion the guy, even when he was a great football player, he didn't like to defend the run. You know, he didn't like to tackle. He was great defending.

He'd return a punt. So I think Dion has lived up to what Dion is. And I think you become your personality. Jim Harbaugh is a tough guy. His teams are tough. Mike Vrable's a tough guy. His teams are tough. Ben Johnson is a really detailed, smart guy.

Go look at the Bears' offense. Very close. You know what I mean? Dion is motivation and aura and a little schek and big personality, and that's what Colorado football is. Another speaking in Colorado, Travis Hunter, Liam Cohen was on our show during Super Bowl week, did a great job with the Jacks.

I mean, really good offensive coach. And, you know, it was a year ago in the draft, we were talking about Travis Hunter. And what's really fascinating about Travis Hunter, all year long in seven games, one touchdown and 28 catches, and a big chunk of his yards came against one team. They were getting nailed, they were getting crushed by the Rams, and he put up some big numbers late. That was his big game. When he was 50-50 offense and defense, he didn't do anything. In that Rams game, he was like 85-15 offense, and he was productive.

was garbage time, whatever. But in his first six games, he was a non-factor. In fact, what was fascinating when he got hurt and left is when the Jags got hot, because they went and got a real receiver who has a specific skill. And this has always been my thing on Travis Hunter. Put him on offense, make him a number one wide receiver. There's not enough time in the day for the coaching staff to worry about you. And the minute he got hurt and the JAG staff stopped worrying about making sure Travis Hunter, who they moved up to draft, making sure it worked. The minute he got hurt, the team got red hot.

And they went and got a guy Jacobi Myers who doesn't run a 425, who is not in a world-class elite athlete. He runs really good routes and has really good hands. I mean, the best receiver in the NFL right now is JSN. He is not big. He's not super fast. He is a great route runner. I like my pro athletes to be specifically great at things. Even in the NBA, if you're not a great score, Marcus Smart had a hell of a career being an elite defender.

Tony Allen, elite defender. I always worry about, hey, this guy is in high school and college, elite athleticism carries the day, especially in high school and lower division football. When you get to higher division football, LSU playing Bama five years ago, next year, Ohio State playing, you know, the tough teams on their schedule, you got to give me, I like my guys to have specific skills. So it's just interesting when Liam Cohen, they're talking this offseason, hey, how are we going to get this thing with Travis Hunter? He's on track. He's coming back. What is he specifically great at? Is he a great route runner?

Does he have great hands? I know he's fast. I mean, he, and I know he is relentless, and I know he can really move. They got good when he didn't play. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin.

And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season.

And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to. He's like, you know, I love it. love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.